Writing a Drum Solo

andSometimesY

andSometimesY

Senior Member
Hi guys, I have a situation and I could use some tips from those who are more experienced than me.

One of the bands that I play in is currently recording, and I, being the drummer, have to record first. We are a progressive band and every song on this album is of a different genre. The song I will be recording next is a metal song (the only one we've ever done). It is of a relatively slow tempo. This brings me to my problem. The band wants a 4 measure (16 beats of 4/4) drum solo over a vamp of the main riff. They told me to think of the drum solo in Opeth's "Porcelain Heart" as an example. I have never recorded a drum solo before. I want it to be compositional and not just mindless wanking. Does anybody have any tips on how to compose a tasteful drum solo that can blow people's minds without sounding like "Look at me I play fast"?

Thanks guys
 
I think what your talking about is an "Ostinato". That is playing a solo over a vamp that you referenced to. Look at it like the vamp is holding down the time for you. Now you can play with the time, play over the bar lines and just have fun with it. Personally, I love playing solo's in over an Ostinato form. I might even be spelling that wrong . I would much rather solo over an Ostinato than play a free form solo. Hope that helps a little
 
Wow, you can tell that Opeth have heard KC's Level Five. A real death-of-the-universe metal riff.

The solo doesn't sound compositional so much as going increasingly berserk over the riff for 16 bars.

If you want to be musical, you'll think of what the song has done leading to the solo section and where it's going to come out, all in the context or the lyrics and the total journey of the song.

Have you winged it a few times and recorded it? Keep the good bits and replace/clean up the bits that didn't work so well ...
 
Pollyanna said:
Wow, you can tell that Opeth have heard KC's Level Five. A real death-of-the-universe metal riff.

The solo doesn't sound compositional so much as going increasingly berserk over the riff for 16 bars.

If you want to be musical, you'll think of what the song has done leading to the solo section and where it's going to come out, all in the context or the lyrics and the total journey of the song.

Have you winged it a few times and recorded it? Keep the good bits and replace/clean up the bits that didn't work so well ...
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So very true. So much easier today than it was 15 year ago. Back then, pretty much, you had to hit it, and play it 25 times until you got the take you really liked. Today you can piece it together and create what you want. Just ,make sure the final product is something you will be able to repeat live, if it seems to be crucial to the song.
 
ChipJohns said:
So very true. So much easier today than it was 15 year ago. Back then, pretty much, you had to hit it, and play it 25 times until you got the take you really liked. Today you can piece it together and create what you want. Just ,make sure the final product is something you will be able to repeat live, if it seems to be crucial to the song.
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hehe, I didn't mean it like that, Chip, but that's not a bad idea either - Pro Tools to the rescue! :) I was actually thinking about the development of the drum part through trial and error and subsequent review rather than recording it.
 
Swiss Matthias said:
4 bars seems to be pretty short for a solo. That's rather like an extended fill, so I'd probably look at it like playing a nice, overlengthy fill that leads beautifully in the upcoming section of the tune.
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Yeah, I was wrong about the length. It is actually twice what I said. It's 8 measures or 32 beats long. I was counting a cycle of the 2 measure riff as one measure for some reason. Thanks everybody for the help you have given. I am at work now trying to write out a solo on bank receipts as I think of the riff! This is tough stuff. The song drops off in to a jazzy guitar solo with no drums right after the drum solo, so I don't know if I should give the illusion of a build, or if the solo should slow down as it draws to an end.
 
Joe Morris said:
I would much rather solo over an Ostinato than play a free form solo.
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I'm with you Joe, soloing without a quarter or eighth note reference to me is just someone hitting things, no matter how mindboggling.
 
ChipJohns said:
So very true. So much easier today than it was 15 year ago. Back then, pretty much, you had to hit it, and play it 25 times until you got the take you really liked. Today you can piece it together and create what you want. Just ,make sure the final product is something you will be able to repeat live, if it seems to be crucial to the song.
Click to expand...

I definitely want to be able to repeat it live. I want it to be a signature part of the song and I want it to be one of those parts that people who know the song want to air-drum along to. I am just having writer's block I guess. When I tried coming up with ideas last night I was just mindlessly hitting stuff. Thanks to everybody who is helping.
 
Here's one concept, make a beginning a middle and an end, like writing composition. It's only 4 bars, so dividing it up in 3 chunks might make things easier, eg. a 1 bar beginning, 2 bar middle and 1 bar end. Tie em all together somehow and you got yer solo.
 
Since the solo is over a vamp, the vamp itself must have a rhythm to it that the band it playing.

So listen to what the band is playing in the sections, and get down the accent pattern.
And then think of how many ways you can play that accent pattern with different parts of your kit. That should give you a good base to work from. From there you then fill in the little notes in between the accents.

As Larry said, let it have a beginning, a middle and end by building the intensity or note values as you go.

Good luck!
 
Thanks guys! I like both of those ideas. I could use three or four distinct themes and maybe just phrase the accent pattern differently each time.
 
Swiss Matthias said:
Well the quarter note pulse may as well be happening in the listener's (and of course the player's) mind. It's there even when noone is playing it...
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I was referring to an out of time solo, just skillfully hitting things that is ostinato-less. I just think a solo over an ostinato is much easier to make musical. Plus I'm assuming there are non musicians listening to it. If you give them the 1,2,3 and 4, it's easier to understand for them. (assuming 4/4)
 
Just to bring closure to this thread, I thought I should post and say that today I finally finished the drum solo (as well as the rest of the song). The drums in the song are very simple until the solo. The hardest part was playing something like that in perfect time with a metronome. When you are splitting 32nd notes between the snare, bass, toms, crash etc.it is VERY hard to focus on that click (in my opinion). I actually had to simplify a couple parts in order to get a keepable take. Even now I wouldn't call it perfectly on time but it's close enough that most listeners won't notice. Thanks to everyone who posted with advice.
 
Pollyanna said:
hehe, I didn't mean it like that, Chip, but that's not a bad idea either - Pro Tools to the rescue! :) I was actually thinking about the development of the drum part through trial and error and subsequent review rather than recording it.
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Oops! in retrospect... yes, what you say too.. It is an art to be able to put things together to "build" a drum solo. I toured a lot when that was a big thing. I was pretty good at building nice drum solos..

So I will just add that when you do this use your strong points and you can usually put together some nice stuff. The transitions between each part, and the over all arrangement, (the order in which you put the sections) is what can really pull the whole thing together.

However, on the other hand, for a 16 bar solo, not a real issue.

// I've done that a few times with you Polly. Is it the man woman difference, the Brit Yank difference, or something totally different? ??
 
andSometimesY said:
Just to bring closure to this thread, I thought I should post and say that today I finally finished the drum solo (as well as the rest of the song). The drums in the song are very simple until the solo. The hardest part was playing something like that in perfect time with a metronome. When you are splitting 32nd notes between the snare, bass, toms, crash etc.it is VERY hard to focus on that click (in my opinion). I actually had to simplify a couple parts in order to get a keepable take. Even now I wouldn't call it perfectly on time but it's close enough that most listeners won't notice. Thanks to everyone who posted with advice.
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And you know Y, we are going to need to hear this after it's mastered..!
 
ChipJohns said:
And you know Y, we are going to need to hear this after it's mastered..!
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Ha, I'll share it with you guys. Just keep in mind that we are not a professional band and all of our recordings are home-made and you might enjoy it. I'm not sure when the whole song will be ready. The drum track was the first thing completed. Vocals, Bass, Rhythm Guitar, and 2 guitar solos still need to be recorded.
 
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